Managing Paper, Piles… Overwhelm

“Every time you feel overwhelmed, reduce the task. Every time you feel overwhelmed, stop and feel.” – Your Spacious Self

A really good question I received in this blog recently:

I have a question I have wanted to ask for  a while now. I am doing the practice of clearing one thing each day and I am still feeling overwhelmed because I have so many piles of paper? How will I ever get through it if I only clear one thing a day??

(My) Answer:

The “overwhelm” you feel is the fight or flight reaction that happens in the brain at the mere site of the piles.  Thoughts like “I’ll never get through this” are an indicator that all the red flags are flying. That mind set will keep you stuck forever.

The “one thing, one pile, one area” is merely a way to dial it down (and quiet that part of the brain that is in stress overload).

Have you read my book?

Chapter 7 “Go Slow to Go Fast” addresses this issue specifically.

My thirty-day email series also helps dial it down: http://www.yourspaciousself.org/

Do you practice extreme self-care? Daily doses of it?  This will also help calm the mind.

As I like to say, when we clear the clutter on the “inside,” the clutter on the outside takes care of itself.

If nothing else, keep breathing, and being aware… there is light at the end of this tunnel, you just have to slow down enough to see it!

Hope this helps.

Stephanie

The “overwhelm” you feel is the fight or flight reaction that happens in the brain at the mere site of the piles.  Thoughts like “I’ll never get through this” are an indicator that all the red flags are flying. That mindset will keep you stuck forever.

The “one thing, one pile, one area” is merely a way to dial it down (and quiet that part of the brain that is in stress overload).

Here are some ways to make friends with stress overload and cultivate EASE [note the top four line items work really great as a unit; practice them in a flowing sequence]:

1. Slow down.
2. Name the overwhelm – i.e. “This is overwhelm, “This is freakout,” This is a disaster,”…etc. Using the less personal “This is” (vs “I am overwhelmed”) helps you detach and release emotional charge.
3. Feel the stress fully and completely without judging it as good or bad.
4. Repeat the phrase “I choose ease.”
5. Practice extreme self-care. Daily doses of it.  This will help calm the mind.
6. Try my 28-day online course at DailyOM. These “slow drip” messages are designed to help you dial it down.
7. If nothing else, keep breathing, and being aware… there is light at the end of this tunnel, you just have to slow down enough to see it!

Here’s the thing about clutter clearing that most traditional approaches do not consider: when we clear the clutter on the “inside,” the clutter on the outside takes care of itself.

Hope this helps.

Stephanie